Beauty and the Beast
by ThxrinOxkenshield
Summary: Aria Dante was nothing like the rest of the 100. For one thing, she was a complete idiot. She never got the easy concepts the way her comrades did, always getting the lowest marks. She was also just simply...odd. A lot of people disregarded her as nothing more than the insulting title that was awarded to her: 'Dumb Dante'.
1. Chapter 1

Maybe she was sick. Yes, that had to be it. There had to be some kind of explanation for her oddity. That's what her parents liked to deem it, anyway. Aria Dante was, to put it bluntly, different from the others. There was never really a period in her life where everything suddenly changed so she could explain as to why; she was always, honestly, completely and utterly idiotic. Her marks were always terrible, often unable to bring home a grade above a D. Her teachers struggled the most with her, having to stay after hours just to reteach a lesson they had went over previously just so she could get it through her head.

They made up a nickname for her. Around the Ark, 'Dumb Dante' was used to describe someone saying something completely stupid or doing something outrageous. Some people accidentally let it slip in front of her, so she knew it well. It all became really embarrassing for her parents, who honestly believed the most important thing was reputation. She knew, deep down, they thought her foolish. Well, they weren't wrong. She couldn't grasp simple concepts, and she often made herself look really silly when teachers called on her in class to answer an easy question. She never failed to make her classmates laugh.

Aria was a lonely girl. Even if you put her poor grades aside, she was still just an odd girl. People thought her too weird, making it a game of avoiding her when she walked down the corridors. Her classmates often snickered as they passed around notes, describing to themselves what they would do if they were forced to have Dumb Dante as a lab partner. It was a wonder how she even advanced to the older grades. There was a rumor the teachers only did it because Aria's parents would slip them units. Since she was part of the privileged, it was no skin off their ass.

In conclusion, Aria simply just didn't belong. She was too stupid for her classmates and too weird for the adults. She could never win. She would never win. With just her luck, she landed herself up in the Sky Box with the rest of the delinquents. Granted, her crime was not nearly as bad as the others, but she still violated the law. She remembered how frightened she was when she saw the guards approaching her, their sticks lined with electricity in their hands.

Of course, all they did was strap her in metal cuffs before throwing her in a cell and deeming her nothing more other than Prisoner 247. She was sure she even heard a few of them call her Dumb Dante when they'd come for meal times. Aria truly did have the worst luck. She had an ignoramus streak, a spirit that simply put others off, and she had officially disappointed her parents more than she probably had before.

Stealing from her Earth Skills teacher was one thing, but she had taken his key card to get into his classroom. She not only had theft charges over her head, but she also got arrested for unauthorized trespassing. She did it all for the right reasons, though. Pike, their teacher, had announced he would be issuing them a test that would be worth half their grade the next day, and he had already told Aria's parents that he would not be conned into passing her with units. He had more credibility than that. In an attempt to get the answer sheet she knew was in his desk, she had gone to the mess hall at dinner time and swiped his keycard before finding his classroom.

She barely got four steps in before they found her. Apparently Pike had noticed his keycard missing far too early. They didn't believe her when she said it was just to get the answers for the quiz. She has been in her cell ever since, rotting away within its concaved walls and glass ceiling that revealed space in all its beauty to her.

Well, she was rotting in that cell into that exact morning.

She normally slept in most days. Sleeping helped her forget the guilt. Her parents visited occasionally, but they definitely didn't see her as much as they should. Aria knew they hated her now. They just had to. They had been very proud people; they needed to let others know they were superior. To be superior was to be better, and Aria simply wasn't better. Nevertheless, she always slept in. This morning, however, her slumber was very rudely interrupted.

"Wha-?" she mumbled tiredly, opening one eye to peek over. Someone had entered her cell. Two people to be exact. Both of them were wearing guard uniforms, and one of them were holding one of the shock batons Aria was so terrified of. That woke her up instantly, flying up and hitting her head on the metal rod of the bed. Seeing stars, she grunted and rubbed her temples.

"Prisoner 247, get to your feet and face the wall," one of the guards barked.

"O-Okay!" she weakly protested, jumping to her feet in fear. She was still slightly dizzy from the blow. "D-Did I do something wrong? I-Is it my eighteenth birthday already?" Her light voice was very shaky. The guards ignored her. Instead, one of them grabbed at her right wrist roughly, clasping something to it that made her yelp in pain. Looking down in alarm, she could see a small metal bracelet was now attached to her hand, and it didn't look like it was about to come off anytime soon.

"What's this?" she asked, slowly turning on the spot to look at them. Neither answered. Instead, the one with the shock baton suddenly seized her by under her arm and practically throwing her from her cell, sending her straight to the railing that she nearly toppled over had she not grabbed it. Eyes widening, she could see just about every prisoner stuck in the Sky Box was being uprooted from their cells, all wearing the same metal bracelet she was. What was going on? "Wh-What are you doing to us?"

"Keep it moving!" the guard huffed, shoving her forward down onto the steps. She fell after two measly steps, nearly catching her face on one of the steps and causing a serious injury. She quickly pulled herself back to her feet, mouth now trembling. Tears threatened the corners of her brown eyes. They were killing them, weren't they? It was a mass homicide in order to make room for more prisoners. She kept her arms close to her sides as she numbly followed the other kids, all looking just as confused as she was. For once, Aria wasn't the only one in the unknown.

If they were doing a mass killing, what were the bracelets for? Aria wondered. The guards disappeared from her sights as soon as she got stuck within crowd of delinquents, all of them easily surpassing her in height and preventing her of seeing where exactly where they were going. She could feel the atmosphere becoming colder and colder, but perhaps that was because she was so scared. She really wished her parents were with her right now.

Aria didn't deal with stress very well. Her arrest was a big example of that. She had practically thrown herself to her knees with her wrists held out when the guards had arrived. What was worse was that she didn't know what was going on. Why wouldn't they tell them? This didn't make any sense. Aria trembled visibly, trying to hunch over in order to hide her face. She was slightly worried that if the people walking beside her realized she was Dumb Dante, they'd make more of an effort to get away from her. It might be scary, but she'd rather be surrounded by strangers than guards.

"Single file! Single file!" someone ordered from ahead. In unison, the delinquents shoved each other around so they could be one behind the other. Aria was ultimately pushed until she was standing behind an Asian boy with thick black hair and a boy with shaggy brown hair and a mischievous smile. Neither of them paid any attention to her, thankfully. Moving about as much as she could without alarming the guards that she wasn't following direct orders, she could _finally _see that they were being led what looked to be a drop ship.

_A drop ship?_

Aria skidded to a stop, causing the boy and several others to knock into her. He looked down at her curiously, not angry or irritated.

"You good?" he asked simply.

"W-What's going on?" she squeaked. "I-I don't understand!"

"You there! Keep moving!" one of the guards growled, about to go and throw her forward. Thankfully, the boy behind her prevented that, holding up a hand to stop him and hissed into Aria's ear, "Keep moving, c'mon. He'll take any chance to put his hands on us." She didn't want to move, but she also really didn't want to be tossed around so angrily again. Nodding her head to the unnamed boy, she continued walking, avoiding the gaze of the furious guard as best as she could.

She has never been so terrified before, not since her arrest. It took a while for her to eventually get to the mouth of the drop ship. When she finally did so, she was able to see what it looked like inside. It was dark and murky. There were many seats surrounding her, with orange seatbelts protruding for them to strap themselves down. Unfortunately, this level was already full, so she would have to go even _higher. _All the while, she still didn't know where they were going.

"Here," the boy said, reaching around her waist and giving her a boost up on the ladder. Not used to such kindness, she could only muster a jumbled thank you before she went up to the next level until she saw seats available. The boy came up behind her. "How the hell did someone like - wait...you're Dumb Dante!"

Aria flinched visibly, blushing furiously.

"Sorry, sorry, that totally came out wrong. Um...I'm Finn. To be honest, I've never really called you... Whenever you walk by that's what my friends had called... Sorry," Finn looked really awkward now, rubbing the back of his head. Aria didn't even give a reply, numbly walking over to one of the seats and strapping herself down. As if he wanted to do the exact opposite of what she really wanted, taking the seat beside her. "Hey, uh...to answer your earlier question...I'm guessing you weren't chosen for those Earth Skills classes, huh? Well...I'm just assuming, but I think we're going down to earth."

_Earth? Did he just say earth?_

Aria's eyes widened and she quickly went to try and unbuckle herself, but it seemed once it clicked, they wouldn't unfasten until landing.

"Woah, hey, calm down! Stop!" Finn protested, trying to grab her hands. "I doubt they'd be sending us down if they weren't positive earth was survivable! Maybe they found something!" Aria shook her head furiously, not wanting to listen to a word he said. What little she knew, Aria understood that earth was not survivable. As most of her teachers constantly said, it was still vastly coated in radiation and wouldn't be ready for another hundred years. They couldn't possibly be going down there. Aria refused to believe it.

"Hey! Someone help! She's freaking out!" Finn called, still unable to stop her from flinging herself about like some kind of psycho. Thankfully, a guard was already up there to do a run through and see if everyone was strapped in. He pulled his helmet up as he approached, jerking back as Aria made a frantic grab for him.

"Pl-Please! I don't wanna go to earth! I don't want-"

She was unable to finish her mantra. Sensing that she was in a panic attack, the guard had took out what initially looked like a gun, but the only bullet that flew from the mouth was a dart that shut her consciousness down and placed her into a deep sleep. Finn watched on, shocked. By now, a lot of delinquents were watching as Aria blacked out and slumped forward. The guard moved to make sure she was truly unconscious, before situating her head so she leaned against the seat.

"Level three clear!" he yelled, turning his back and making his way back to the ladder.

Aria had no idea that her attempts were never worth it, for just a few minutes later the drop ship launched and separated them from the Ark...forever.

* * *

He didn't like to think of it as exile, personally. Well, it was what it was. Lexa had to be sure his face would become a thing of the past after his sentence was said in front of everyone, including his power-driven mother. Since then, he hasn't seen Polis for himself in over a year. Initially, he had been pretty heated about it. He'd often seek out nomads traveling just to beat the living shit out of them and blow off steam. That was back before Lincoln had discovered him, so he looked far dirtier with his hair unkempt and chest bare. None of the nomads recognized him, so he was given the nickname the 'Hunter'.

Lincoln had him on his ass before he could even blink. He didn't stand a chance against him, but he was strangely fine with that. Lincoln wasn't even a nomad; he just preferred living on his own. He recognized Roan when he eventually pinned him. Alarmed, he had originally just wanted to take off and leave him there to prevent any altercations with Lexa for contact with the exiled prince, but seeing Roan in that state must've set something off in his generous soul, so he took him back to his camp and he's been there ever since.

Roan liked it, personally. They'd both go out hunting during the day and would have a tremendous meal at night. Lincoln and him sparred a few days of the week to help Roan perfect his fighting stances. Soon enough, they had ultimately become somewhat friends. Lincoln was a very caring being. Roan was sure he didn't have a bad bone in his body. He often hoped he never accidentally ran into his mother. She loathed people like him.

Roan often had to leave the cave now and again when Lincoln told him someone from Trikru was visiting. If they knew he was hoarding him, Lincoln would probably be sentenced to some kind of severe punishment. Or worse, he'd be exiled himself. Nevertheless, he considered this life much better than the one before. He didn't have to deal with his overbearing mother any longer, and he also didn't have to listen to Echo go on and on about his wasted potential. She always knew he would make a better ruler than Nia.

At the moment, he had returned to the cave early. He had been tracking a deer for two days now, and it paid off. It was fully grown, too. He was surprised nobody else had caught it. Lincoln was still inside, sharpening one of his blades by the fire. He barely acknowledged Roan as he dragged the poor beast to one side to skin him.

"_You took your time,_"Lincoln said, speaking in their native tongue out of habit. "_It better be worth it._"

"_It's more than worth it._" Roan grinned, moving so Lincoln could see. The other smirked. "_We'll be eating like kings by dusk._"

"_Nice pun,_" Lincoln said, placing the blade down in order to approach him. "_Anya sent scouts here this morning. I'm grateful you didn't come back at that time. They wouldn't hesitate to shoot you down. I'm sure she'd be more than glad to take your head back to the Commander._"

"_They wouldn't even have time to take out their weapons,_" Roan scoffed, taking out his own weapon to begin the process. But he didn't even get to the fur, for something interrupted the quietness that had surrounded their home. It started as a low roar before it echoed and nearly popped his eardrums. Clapping his hands to his ears, Roan stumbled to his feet and rushed for the entrance to see what was causing such noise. Lincoln was right behind him.

It was hard to see at first due to the high brush of the trees. But it was unmistakable.

"A ship," Lincoln mumbled in English. "How is this possible?"

"There is only one ship. Do you think anyone will be on it?" Roan asked, glancing at his companion.

"I don't want to find out."

"This is a threat, is it not? Anya will see it as such since it's landed in her territory," Roan pointed his dagger toward the trees where a crash sounded, the air nearly sending them tumbling to the ground.

"If so, I have I go and speak to her. It's her call," Lincoln grumbled, running back into his home, leaving Roan standing there and staring at the trees as though he expected someone to walk right out of them begging for a fight. He has heard the legends of ships coming to the ground with the intention of stealing the land his people and Lexa's fought so hard to keep. He never expected it to actually happen in his lifetime. He wondered if his mother witnessed it, too, with how far she was from this location. He almost wanted to see for himself, but he wouldn't leave Lincoln.

Speaking of him, he returned wearing armor and his mask that concealed his identity. He looked to Roan.

"It would be wise of you to clear out for now in case Anya did send out scouts. I don't want them discovering you."

"I want to go investigate," Roan insisted.

"Don't be stupid."

"You're one of her best warriors. She'll have to send you. Just find me when you arrive."

"Roan, your impulses are what got you exiled in the first place. What if the people on that ship, if they even survived the landing, are violent?"

"They won't be as good as me." Roan said, his mind already made.

Lincoln sighed, bowing his head and shaking it. Despite being younger, he always found Roan's more dangerous plans foolish and childish. He often went against them, but he knew Roan would do it anyway because that was how he was raised. Queen Nia led him to believe that because he was destined to be king, any and all decisions would eventually have to come from him. This was his decision.

"At least stay hidden until I arrive with Anya's orders. If they so much as glance at you within the trees-"

"They won't."

"Fine. I'll be back soon enough. Don't be stupid until I get back."

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you."

The two embraced, the brotherly teasing coming to an end. Pulling away, Lincoln gave him a final nod and took off in the direction of TonDC, ready to listen to whatever Anya asked of him. As for Roan, he was rushing in the direction of the ship, his excitement overtaking any nerves that decided to settle on his broad shoulders.

It wasn't too long away from their camp. It was probably around a twenty minute trot before he caught sight of it. It was far bigger in person than it was in the air. From what he could see, flames weren't emitting from any sides of the metal contraption. But it was still concealed, not letting him know whether or not there were any survivors on the ship. He looked around, deciding the higher ground was his best bet for now. Seizing the base of the biggest one, he yanked himself until he was high enough that he could jump safely on the top of said ship.

He waited, his knife in hand. He wasn't going to kill anyone just yet, but if Lincoln was right and they were violent...he wouldn't hesitate to take their lives. _The door was opening. _Roan leaned forward, his long hair flowing past his ears and obnoxiously getting in his face. He had forgotten to pin it back. He refused to move, however. He wanted to see who was inside. It could just be one person. Or it could be _hundreds. _

The door fell to the ground with a deafening roar. He squinted through his hair, leaning slightly forward. Many heads were spotted within it. He couldn't count, but he knew it was sure as hell more than one. All of them looked around in amazement, as if the earth was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen.

One of them made the first move. She was small with pale skin and bright blue eyes. She opened her arms wide as she took a deep breath, completely unaware she was being watched. She hesitantly moved forward until she took a small leap and had her boots dig into the ground, grass uprooted from the impact. She twirled on the spot, smiling widely.

Then she opened her mouth wide and shrieked, "WE'RE BACK, BITCHES!"


	2. Chapter 2

She didn't wake up until the drop ship penetrated the atmosphere. She had woken with a start, her mouth widening for her to scream but nothing came out. Looking around frantically, it took her a few moments to realize where she was. As she looked around for the boy named Finn who had comforted her before she was put to sleep, she was terrified to see his seatbelt had been cut and he was nowhere to be found. Now she was truly afraid. She heard other people shriek, the lights flickering on and off occasionally while her hair whipped around her face from the rapid movements. She clung to her seat desperately, her mouth shaking with terror. She couldn't handle this. She was going to die. Regardless of earth's conditions, she was going to lose her life.

The drop ship finally hit something solid. Aria shook from its vibrations, her chest heaving from the constricting orange seatbelts that dug obnoxiously into her skin, sure to leave bruises once she was finally able to unbuckle herself. Everyone around her had finally seized screaming. She realized just then that she hadn't uttered a sound since she woke up from the dart. Her throat felt sore, like she had been shrieking the whole way down. Her legs felt like jelly. She couldn't swing them to even make sure she had much feeling left in them from the fall. She could only assume that they were finally on earth. Earth, with all of its radioactivity and lack of support for human or animal life.

There was a simultaneous click, and suddenly everyone was unbuckling themselves and leaping from their seats in order to trot towards the exits where the ladder resided. Aria's small fingers struggled to get herself out, her bottom lip shaking while her brown eyes threatened to release tears. She was still scared. Cowardly, stupid Aria Dante was scared. She wasn't meant for this. What she did was terrible sure, but she didn't think she deserved a punishment like this.

She finally got herself free from the seatbelts and jumped from her seat, squeaking as she sank to the ground. Her knees had buckled, proving herself correct that they were somehow exhausted from the journey because of her emotions. The other delinquents walked around her, clearly frustrated that she was basically in their way. She apologized feebly to them, rubbing at her legs until she was sure nobody was left and it was safe to get up and go at her own pace. Soon, it was just her on that level, all alone. Nobody came to check if she was following. Nobody cared about Dumb Dante. _Woe is me._

She carefully took the ladder down, not surprised to see everyone's attention was toward the front where the lever most likely was to welcome them to the earth, whether radiation held it in entirety or not. Aria shuddered in anticipation. She was all alone down here. Her parents were left on the Ark, probably oblivious to the fact that their daughter was no longer with them in the Sky Box, safe from everyone else. She was miles and miles away on a planet not meant to be livable for another hundred years. It was infuriating.

Thankfully, down here nobody seemed to recognize her just yet, not since that Finn kid. She blended in really well amongst them, waiting patiently for the door to open and either be welcomed to a new life or complete death. Either way, they were on the brink of finding out. She felt her stomach take a leap as the lever was pulled and, ever so suddenly, the door began to slowly lower itself to open. A blinding light peeked through the crack, pressing into her wide brown eyes so much she had to bring up a hand to cover it. A moment later, after a deafening roar as the door hit ground, they felt a rush of what felt like fresh, new air. It was exhilarating. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she was able to finally see it for herself. Everyone was frozen in place like her, looking around in amazement.

Trees brushed through the blue sky, its green aura hypnotizing Aria. The ground was almost as green, looking soft to the touch. It was endless, the area. It went on for miles. Nothing on the Ark could compare to this, not even the beautiful view of earth from its wide windows. A girl was the first to step off. Aria could only see the back of her head with long brown hair and a petite figure. She walked off the door ever so slowly, opening her arms wide as she took in a deep breath. No radiation. Just...air.

"WE'RE BACK, BITCHES!" she shouted, pumping her fists in the air. Unanimously, the delinquents mirrored her attitude and took off at a run into the ground, running around and dancing on the spot. Aria fumbled with her hands, slowly following them. She still felt unsure. Despite them probably being in the same boat as her, she still couldn't help but feel so alone. Dumb Dante. Dumb Dante. Dumb Dante. That's all she was.

Biting her lip, she finally got to the edge of the door and carefully stepped off. The ground dipped in ways the metallic surface couldn't on the Ark. Looking down, she noticed how the grass spread as she dug her toes into the dirt. There was a certain smell to everything here. It smelled natural, almost burnt. Dipping low, she pressed one of her hands into the green, feeling how it beckoned to her touch. The grass was so soft, so fragile as she easily pulled it from the dirt and had it run from her fingers. The dirt reached underneath her fingernails. She smiled wistfully. This was home. This was supposed to be their home all along, had it not been for the war. Aria felt so surreal. Just moments ago she was terrified out of her wits at just the thought of death. Now she was laying within the grass and touching it as much as she could before it could disappear.

Was this the true power of earth? To put you at ease and make you feel as though nothing could go wrong? Was this just a false sense of security?

Aria was suddenly sent face first into the ground, her mouth coming into contact with the ground she was so enraptured with. The boy who knocked her down paid her no mind, instead continuing to run around with his companions as Aria sat up and coughed up dirt, her entire face tainted brown and green. Her entire front was met with grass stains. Pitiful. Of course. She quickly attempted to wipe it off, brushing her hands up and down uselessly.

"Are you okay?" a voice called gently.

"I-I'm fine! It was my fault, I wasn't...I shouldn't have stayed where everyone's running around. He was just excited is all," Aria said, as always pitting the blame on herself because it just had to be her fault. She felt two hands seize her arms and yank her to her feet. She was met with two people, one a girl she recognized almost immediately. Seeing as her mother was the main healer on the Ark, Clarke Griffin became pretty well known. Aria had no idea she was even arrested. Beside her was the Chancellor's son, Wells Jaha, taking Aria even more by surprise. She suddenly felt a lot more foolish, covered in grass and dirt in front of the two most prestigious people she knew of.

"Aria Dante, right?" Clarke Griffin asked, aiding Aria in dusting herself off.

"Um...y-yeah. I am. I was just...I dunno what I was doing. Everything's just so pretty," Aria murmured.

"I guess," Wells sighed, stifling a chuckle as he helped Clarke in ridding Aria of the grass and dirt. "Arrested for trespassing and theft, right?"

Aria blushed. "W-Well, um...it was because...I was just trying...I just wanted to pass." She dipped her head below her shoulders. God, how imprudent she must seem to them. Of course, she had yet to understand that they were on the ground for a reason, too. They might even be there for something worse. But Aria couldn't understand how two completely normal people who were destined for greatness on the Ark could've possibly violated the law. Especially Wells. Chancellor Jaha truly banished his own son to die.

"Don't worry about it," Clarke mumbled, nodding to Wells. "Take care of her while I sort the map out? We need to herd everyone back so we can set foot to Mount Weather." She unraveled what looked to be a large map and walked back to the Ark, flattening it on the fallen door to look at it more closely. Wells grabbed Aria by the arm and followed the blonde. Aria stumbled in his wake, looking confused.

"Wait," she said, "What's Mount Weather?"

"It was the location my father set the drop ship for us to land on. I'm guessing that the atmosphere prevented us from landing there. We're stranded." Wells explained, "Didn't you listen to what he said on the video?"

Aria shook her head. "Um...I was knocked out by a guard before we even took off. I only woke up when everything started shaking." She suddenly looked startled. "That boy! Finn Collins! I was sitting beside him on the drop ship before I was knocked out and he was gone as soon as I woke up! Is he okay? What happened to him?"

Wells rolled his eyes, "He's fine...despite getting a total of two people to die as soon as we hit the ground. Monkey-see-monkey-do."

"Wells," Clarke warned. "He couldn't have predicted that would happen." She turned back to Aria and gave a soft smile. "Finn is fine. He's probably just enjoying it outside like the rest of them."

Aria nodded, relieved. She didn't know a thing about him, but he was kind to her on the Ark and on the drop ship. She hated to think that the only person to do so, even knowing that she was Dumb Dante in the process, died before she could even express any gratitude. Looking around, she tried to find his face in the crowd of teens but came up without luck. Clarke and Wells continued to look over the map, the blonde female drawing a line that was probably meant to show the way toward their destination. Aria was impressed. Unfortunately, their trio was suddenly interrupted by a head peering between Wells and Clarke's.

"Hey, cool map," a boy wearing goggles complimented, smiling toward Clarke, "They got a bar around here? I'll buy you a beer."

Wells' entire demeanor suddenly changed. He turned and pressed a hand to the boy's chest, roughly pushing him back as he told him to back off. That was apparently the wrong move since a group of boys suddenly showed up, the one at the center with cold blue eyes growling, "Hey, hands off him. He's with us!"

Sensing the danger in his tone, Aria immediately backed away.

"We need to find Mount Weather," Wells replied instead of arguing, but he obliged to not touching the boy with the goggles any longer.

"Says who?" another voice joined the mix. All turned to the girl from under the floor, Octavia Blake. She was glaring heavily at Wells, as if he were worse than the scum still staining Aria's clothes from being shoved into the dirt. "You? Chancellor's son? Followed close behind by his princess and jester." She squinted toward Aria, who shrank underneath her fiery gaze.

"What? Do you think we care who's in charge?" Clarke scoffed, stepping in front of Wells and Aria. "We need to find Mount Weather, not just because the Chancellor said so or because you think we're struggling with some kind of superiority complex...but because that is our only guarantee to survive down here. The longer we remain here in the middle of these trees the longer it'll be before we discover water or food or any sort of protection from what hides in those woods."

"You seem to forget that those of us who didn't live amongst the privileged already learned how to survive on their own," the male wearing the guard's uniform stated. "I think you're far more afraid that you don't know what's coming next much like we did on the Ark that scares you so bad." Most of the people in the crowd agreed. Aria bit her lip. Seeing as she was technically born with the privileged, despite being as dumb as a pile of rocks, she was probably considered the enemy, too. That Octavia girl referred to her as Wells' jester. How humiliating. But this was far more important. If what Clarke said is true, they needed to leave.

"None of you understand the importance of this. We all have to go to Mount Weather. Earth isn't like the Ark. We don't know what it's like down here. You cannot guarantee that everyone can survive down here on just their wits!" Wells pleaded, just before he was shoved forward by the same boy with the blue eyes. Aria quickly shied away, backing into the crevice that the fallen door and Ark created.

"Look at this, guys!" the boy exclaimed, opening his arms wide. "The Chancellor of earth!"

"You think that's funny?" Wells snorted, turning on him. Wells was definitely thicker than the boy, which probably meant superior strength, but Aria could see the boy was far more malicious and devious. He probably had something else in mind completely. The two began to push at each other, circling around as they held their fists up. The boy look delighted to be fighting with Wells of all people. Aria just wanted it to end. This was all too much.

* * *

"Idiots," he mumbled, peering down at the crowd with his bright blue eyes. He was hidden by the canopy of leaves, easily seeing through the mess at these foreigners that all dropped from the sky wearing weird clothes and spouting random phrases he didn't really understand. He was grateful he bothered to learn the tongue they spoke. English wasn't a common language, but it helped to learn it. None of these people looked more dangerous than the next, but you could never be too sure. At least there were no weapons to be found. However, his blood did draw cold when he heard a few of them talk about Mount Weather.

Roan suddenly turned on the spot, his weapon drawn with the intention of slashing whoever's neck that found him. He stopped short when he saw the familiar face of Lincoln staring calmly at him, his mask removed for the time being as he gave Roan a look of contempt. Roan rolled his eyes, moving over so Lincoln could have room.

"You have a tendency to sneak up on people," he mumbled.

"You really shouldn't be here."

"I take Anya sent you after all?"

"Do you see an arrow protruding from your ass?"

"Screw you."

Lincoln bent over to look at the group all the more further. The two males who Roan saw fighting just now were now separated by a third who leaped from a ledge on their drop ship. He snorted. The entertainment had finally seized, but it was probably for the best. If they had a civil war on their hands with these people, it could mean more interference from Anya's army other than Lincoln. He was sure to be discovered then.

"Are they dangerous?"

"I don't know. As far as I can see, they're all kids. Children running around without leashes. I haven't seen a weapon in sight, however. One of them keeps talking about Mount Weather. Is that going to be an issue?" Roan looked at Lincoln for confirmation. The way his face contorted into worry told Roan quite plainly that it could and would be a problem if they even made it. It could go one of many ways. The Reapers could kill them before they stepped foot there. They could join the Mountain Men and go up against the clans. Or they could be killed on sight by the Mountain Men or their acid fog.

"For now, we wait. Anya ordered me to observe them on a daily basis and report everything to her." Lincoln stated, thumbing at a tiny journal on his hip. He continued to look around the crowd of kids until his eyes finally landed on one of the females Roan witnessed step onto the ground first. She was the same one with raven hair and bright blue eyes. Lincoln seemed far more focused on her once her sight invaded his field of vision.

"Octavia Blake," Roan said. "That's what I heard them all call her."

"Does she have a story?"

"She has a sibling amongst them. Apparently they're the only two to be related. Wherever they came from, they did not allow the parents to procreate more than one child." Roan said, going off of what he heard from the whispers going around. He thanked his mother for his excellent hearing. As a child he could always hear her coming to scream at him for something he did wrong so he could hide just in time.

"Who else?"

"The eldest male there, the one not wearing one of those metal bands...his name is Bellamy. He's a manipulator. Seems he can get these people to listen to him very easy. That can be a problem if he decides we're the enemy."

"We are the enemy."

"Clarke Griffin, the blonde holding that piece of parchment. She's a little bossy, but she seems a little more intelligent than the rest. Her and that boy leaning against the Ark. He was apparently their leader's son on their mother ship. He's not the most popular down here. I believe his name is Wells Jaha."

Suddenly, someone appeared from hiding between the dropship and fallen door. Roan instantly stiffened, his jaw tightening and his eyes narrowing. Lincoln noticed and quickly followed his gaze. It was a girl, standing at about an average height with a thin figure and long chestnut brown hair. Her skin was olive toned, her eyes wide and brown, easily telling Lincoln she was innocent just the way she looked around. Her body language mirrored it. She was covered in grass stains, and her face was overwhelmed with dirt, almost as if she had slammed her face into it.

"Who is she?" Lincoln asked.

"Her people call her Dumb Dante. It's easy to understand why."

"How is that?"

"Because she is probably, by far, the most vulnerable of them all with no intellect or physical strength of her own. If they truly sent these kids down to their deaths...it will indeed be her," Roan stated matter-of-factly, snorting in a judging sort of way at the way she kneeled down beside Wells to comfort him after being injured by that other boy. Absolutely pathetic.


End file.
